US, UK forces shoot down 21 drones, missiles fired by Houthis in Red Sea

WASHINGTON: Houthi rebels from Yemen launched 18 drones over the southern Red Sea, according to US military's Central Command (CENTCOM), marking the armed group's 26th attack on international trade channels in the previous seven weeks, reported Al Jazeera.

CENTCOM said that two anti-ship cruise missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile were also downed.

CENTCOM was working in cooperation with UK forces. "Iranian-backed Houthis launched a complex attack of Iranian-designed one-way attack UAVs... anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Huthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Southern Red Sea," the US Central Command said in a statement on Wednesday, as per Al Jazeera. Since taking over the Galaxy Leader, a truck carrier travelling from Turkey to India, on November 19, the Houthis have carried out 26 attacks on Red Sea shipping channels.

The Houthi rebels, who are an Iran-aligned group, started the strikes in retaliation for Israel's Gaza conflict. Four destroyers, including one from the UK, and fighter fighters from the Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier participated in the operation, Al Jazeera reported citing CENTCOM. The Houthis have said that they will not stop attacking until Israel ends the hostilities in Gaza. Yemen's Houthis have launched several drone and missile attacks at Israel, with most intercepted, since the war started. The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, after thousands of Hamas terrorists crossed the border and killed scores of Israelis.

The Houthis claim solidarity with Gaza, reporting over 20,900 killed. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council in New York is scheduled to vote on January 10 on a draft resolution that the US has submitted, reported Al Jazeera. The resolution denounces the attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and calls for an immediate cessation of such acts, along with the release of the Galaxy Leader and its crew.